Balancing Health and School- My Plan to Graduate On Time

This semester, I wasn't able to start working on any schoolwork until the first week of March. It then took me another two weeks to start consistently working on schoolwork for more than an hour at a time. The drastic shift in my health threatened my graduation timeline and my ability to complete my thesis. For a while, I was debating between extending my education by a semester in the fall, filing for an incomplete and finishing my thesis over the summer, or completely unenrolling in the spring to start over when I felt better. Ultimately, my recovery was faster than I expected, and I want to take this week to share how I've stayed on track so far.

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1: Communication

My advisor has been extremely understanding this semester, and has checked in on me several times in the hospital and even called me when I told her I got broken up with after I got out of the hospital. She worked with me to find the best way for me to complete my work while focusing on my health, which has been extremely appreciated. Because this class is independent and project-based, I don't have to follow a structured syllabus like in regular classes. This allows me to set the pace for when I work more and work less. Now, at the end of every class, I work with my advisor to determine the work I will complete before our next meeting, the date of our next meeting, and any other expectations of my work. This clear communication allows me to balance my health and the now much tighter deadlines I have to meet.

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2: Scheduling Appointments- Free Days

When I can, I try to keep a few days in my week free. For example, I am writing this blog on one of my free days so I can sit for long periods and dive into my work. However, I am having writer's block and took a break to work on this blog you are reading now. However, when I am not suffering from writer's block, I like to have days when I can dive deep into my work, whether that means reading my data, looking for academic sources, editing my work, or working with the writing center at my school to get editing feedback. If I only have time to work after appointments for 100% of the week, I worry I will be too tired to do my best work. To balance this, I have appointment-heavy days with two to three appointments and then some free writing days. I have been working on this project for almost a year and a half, and this system has worked so far.

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3: Classmate Check-ins

This semester is unique for me because I have no classes with other people in person, online, or independently. The only other contact I have this semester with someone from CSU Channel Islands is my advisor during our meetings to discuss my thesis and sometimes life. As a result, I wanted to find a way to ask others about their progress so I could see if I am on the right track. By scheduling classmate Zoom meetings, I have been able to both increase my socialization with friends and open communication about the process of writing a thesis. I have had multiple times where I feel like I am alone in my struggle, only to find someone else can relate to me. If you are a student, I advise finding a community of people in the same class that you can commiserate with and ask questions to where there is also a level of mutual respect as scholars. This semester it helps that we are all friends, but I try to make this community for every class I am in.

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4: Boundaries

No matter how stressed I am, I try to honor my time with friends and keep it separate from schoolwork. While I suddenly have to work more each week, I know there are two times I will not be doing schoolwork: Game night and whatever weekend plans I make. I try to honor this time as recharge time. While I also have some appointments that are relaxing and also are time consuming, I am more than a student and my disabilities. This time is just mine to pour into being a friend and having fun. These boundaries help me manage my mental health so I can be a better student, and are a large reason why I try to keep a couple of free or mostly free days in my calendar each week that I can devote to researching and writing.

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5: Motivation

Writing a thesis is the hardest thing I have ever done in school. I have struggled more with procrastination with this project than I have in any other class in college. It is hard, I regularly don't know what I am doing, and I sometimes struggle not to take the feedback I get personally. In every way, this work challenges me. Now, I am also no longer months ahead but barely on track due to my hospitalization and recovery process. So, I have to try to find motivation. To do that, I try to schedule breaks with fun things like computer video games, board game time with family, snacks that I can now safely eat, and YouTube videos. For larger accomplishments, I reward myself with skincare or fashion purchases. By finding systems that work, I am able to balance my deadlines now that it is more urgent and I can't take long breaks if I don't feel motivated without fear of falling behind.

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Thank you for reading about how I am balancing my last semester as a master's student, working on my thesis, as I manage a significant health crisis and subsequent recovery. If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!